Homemade Dog Food Recipes

Food made with love just tastes better. Seriously. If your
mother puts together a meatloaf while in a rush to get to work, it’s not going
to taste as good as the meatloaf grandma spent all morning fussing over, even
if they used the same exact recipe. Real home cooking tastes better, and it
nurtures better, whether you choose to believe it or not; it’s all about
intention. If mom cooks something for the sole purpose of making sure you don’t
go hungry, that’s not very nurturing.

If grandma cooks something for that
purpose, and the intention of showing you how much she cares about what you
eat, that’s a whole lot more nurturing. Same goes for what you feed Fido. I
realize that some people aren’t in a position to cook for their pet on a daily
basis (and if you are, I hope you’re at least feeding your pet a highly quality
holistic brand and supplementing it with something yummy and healthy) but if
you are, this is a list of homemade dog food cookbooks which can make things
more exciting for both you and Fido.

Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets

Dr. Strombeck has written quite a highly respected book with his Home-Prepared Dog and Cat Diets. This book contains more than 200 natural pet food recipes for both healthy animals and those who have special dietary needs. It has a complete listing of nutrition and has special sections for specific illnesses as they pertain to specific organ systems. While some people complain that some of dog food recipe books don't have enough information, this one appears to be one of the most comprehensive when it comes to pet food.

Dr. Pitcairn's Natural Health Book

Firstly, let me just be clear that Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats is not a recipe book per se, but it does contain dozens of recipes. It's pretty difficult to find a more respected vet, particularly if you're looking for one who has been all about natural health for decades. There is a reason this book has sold near to half a million copies! I highly recommend this book for everything it contains, not just the dog food recipes.

The Healthy Dog Cookbook

The Healthy Dog cookbook is full of 50 healthy dog food recipes, including treats. It takes breed and size into consideration as well as allergies and special dietary needs. Something particularly cool about this book is the veterinary commentary on each dog food recipe, which lists a calculation to help you asses the nutritional value for your dog. The recipes are easy and affordable and meant to be used as a daily diet, whereas some of the other books are only meant as once or twice-weekly diet supplementation.

Real Food for Dogs

Real Food for dogs is a cookbook written by Arden Moore, the pet columnist for Prevention magazine. Moore has published 50 recipes in this pet cookbook, including a section for dogs on prescription diet with special needs. It's important to note, however, that this book is not intended to replace your dog's entire diet, but rather it's meant as a once or twice-weekly change from their regular food.